Broken Ribs Compensation Claims
No matter how you sustain broken ribs they can be very painful and can take time to heal, but the good news is they usually heal by themselves. The pain though, may result in you not being able to work to your full capacity or at all while you wait for your injury to heal. If you also have other injuries from your accident, the time away from work and the mounting medical bills can be substantial.
Having the ability to lodge a no win no fee rib injury compensation claim could assist you in covering expenses and other costs due to the time off work. Being aware of your legal rights will assist you to get back on your feet quicker and back to your normal life, pre-accident.
Common Causes of Broken Ribs
Work-Related Accidents
Rib injuries as a result of work-related accidents can be quite common, especially in workplaces where a lot of strenuous activities take place.
Workplace accidents that can cause a rib injury include:
- Crushing accidents - being crushed by equipment or machinery
- Falling – either falling from ladders or equipment or objects falling onto workers
- Hit by a vehicle - a lot of workplaces have forklifts and other types of moving vehicles that can strike or hit workers
No matter what sort of environment you work in, employers are legally required to provide a safe working environment and provide adequate safety training as to help prevent accidents happening. If you do injure yourself at work and you suspect you have broken your ribs, it is essential to seek medical treatment as soon as possible, and have an experienced personal injury solicitor assess your claim and rights to compensation.
Talk with an experienced WorkCover lawyer to learn more.
Car or Motor Vehicle Accident
Being involved in a motor vehicle accident can cause a range of serious injuries. Due to the nature of motor vehicles accidents and the force usually associated with a car accident, chest injuries, particularly bruised or fractured ribs are common. The force of a car colliding with another vehicle or stationary object can result in blunt trauma to the chest, resulting in rib and other injuries.
Whether from the impact of the steering wheel, dashboard, or just the force against the seatbelt, a car accident can cause rib injuries through impact or inertia.
If you are involved in a high-speed car accident, the impact you suffer is greatly magnified, putting your heart and lungs at high risk of getting punctured as a result of a rib injury.
If you are the driver of the vehicle or a passenger in a vehicle involved in an accident and have suffered injuries as a result you and your passengers may be eligible to access rib injury claims and receive compensation for your injuries.
Talk with an experienced car accident lawyer for more information.
Slip, Trip or Fall
Slips, trips and falls can happen in pretty much any scenario you can think of - in building foyers, shops, restaurants, supermarkets, on the street or whilst using public transport. No matter where you slip, trip or fall, they can all result in a rib injuries due to trauma at the point of impact to your torso area. If the injury was sustained due to the the negligence of somebody else not doing what they can to ensure the space was made safe, you may be entitled to compensation.
Sporting or Gym Accidents
The risk of sustaining a rib injury is fairly high when participating in any type of sport, but more so with sports such as rugby league or union, soccer, squash and hockey among others. All players are aware of the risks involved when playing these high impact sports, but you don’t expect to suffer a broken rib injury due to someone else’s negligence or due to faulty equipment or playing field.
It's easy to assume that because you chose to take part in these types of activities then you've accepted the risks, you still shouldn’t have to assume that you have to accept the injury or pay the consequences if you can no longer work, or perform your chosen sport if you are paid to do so.
For example, if you were using at a gym and a piece of equipment you were using malfunctioned and caused you an injury. It is likely that your accident was caused by somebody else's negligence. Also, if you were to injure yourself due to lack of safety equipment being available (guards on goal posts for example), or because of dangerous ground conditions, you may have a right to claim compensation for your injuries.
What Evidence is Required to Make a Broken Ribs Compensation Claim?
Broken bones of any sort could mean you are unable do your job properly, or if you have broken multiple bones you may not be able to work at all. If you have been injured in an accident and broken your ribs, you should seek medical treatment for your injuries first and foremost. When visiting your doctor, be sure to let them know how you sustained the injuries you are presenting for. You may need x-rays to enable you to be diagnosed with rib injuries and what treatment is needed by way of recovery. Your treating doctor may tell you to rest in order to recoup or if serious enough, you may require surgery, meaning extended time off work.
These experiences are often expensive, including the unexpected medical bills, time off work and rehabilitation, if needed. If you have been in an accident that has left you with rib injuries you may have a case for a personal injury claim. Be sure to maintain evidence and gather supporting documentation of all your treatments to show your injuries were the result of the accident in question.
Common Risk Factors for Broken Ribs
1. Contact Sports
Contact sports, by their very nature have a higher risk of injury due to the contact activities needed to play the sport. In a lot of cases, it's unlikely that we're able to help you make a claim due to the nature of the sport. However, if you have suffered an injury during a contact sport because of an equipment malfunction or because of incorrect safety equipment provided to you, then you may be able to claim compensation for your injuries, unexpected medical costs and at times decreased ability to work.
2. Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis develops silently and causes bones to become weak and brittle — so brittle that a fall or even mild stresses such as bending over or coughing can cause a fracture. Some people with osteoporosis are more susceptible to rib injuries, including older adults and those with health conditions that affect the bones, such as osteoporosis or osteopenia.
3. Common Cough
You don’t need to be sick to cough, many different environmental factors can cause you to cough. Coughing is considered an important mechanism that helps the body get rid of foreign substances or prevent their entry into your throat and down to your lungs. Infrequently, after a serious bout of coughing, you may feel that you develop persistent chest pain, at times this is due to rib fractures from the force of coughing.
4. Receiving CPR
When you receive CPR, the person administering the lifesaving CPR will need to apply a good deal of pressure to the rib area while performing the necessary chest compressions to assist you in breathing again. It is therefore not uncommon for ribs to break when CPR is being performed. Multiple ribs may also break but this is a small price to pay when a life is being saved.
Types of Rib Injuries
Fractured Ribs
A simple rib fracture
A simple rib fracture is a break in the rib that is not severe enough to cause significant respiratory distress. A simple rib injury will result in a sharp pain and soreness at the injury location, you may be unable to breathe deeply or cough due to the pain, your respiratory rate could be increased, and your breathing may be shallow.
A serious rib fracture
A serious rib fracture is one that causes significant respiratory distress and impairs breathing. This can be a severe and dangerous injury.
Rib fractures are commonly caused by trauma to the chest wall. Extremely painful, rib injuries can represent an isolated injury or be part of other injuries. A rib injury can consist of fractures in one place, two places, or be shattered.
No matter the severity of your rib injury, the force that caused the fracture can occasionally cause other problems, such as a bruised or collapsed lungs, so it’s important to seek medical attention if you think you may have a rib fractures.
Complications From Rib Injuries
A lot of rib injuries will heal themselves over time, but at times a rib injury can cause long-term consequences, including:
- Severe pain when breathing
- Pneumonia
- Chronic pain
- Decreased lung function
- Chest wall deformity
- Lung bruising and swelling
- Bleeding into and around the lungs
- Collapsed lung
Any of these complications require medical attention as soon as possible. If your injury was due to someone else's negligence you may be eligible to access compensation via a rib injury claim.
Am I Eligible to Make a Broken Ribs Injury Compensation Claim?
If you’ve had an accident on the roads, in your workplace, in a public place or in a sports setting and have suffered a rib injury, lodging a claim for compensation can enable you to receive financial support as needed for your out-of-pocket medical expenses and time off from work. There may also be ongoing treatments required, such as physiotherapy and possibly also counselling if the accident you were involved in causes you ongoing trauma.
There are some important steps you need take when you make rib injury claims. Our team of experienced lawyers understand the legal process and will ensure your legal rights are protected and all the steps are followed to ensure you receive the maximum compensation you are due.
Is There a Time Limit for Claiming Broken Rib Injury Compensation?
If you’re suffering from broken or fractured ribs, it is important that you seek legal advice and act promptly as strict time limitations apply for most personal injury compensation claims. In Queensland, claims for most personal injuries must be filed no later than three years from the date of the injury. Seeking legal advice will ensure your legal rights are protected and not lost due to missed time limits.
How Long do Broken Ribs Claims Usually Take?
Settlement timeframes are very much dependant on individual circumstances, no one broken rib injury claim or associated injuries are the same. Many rib injury claims will form part of a larger compensation claim. But if your injuries are more serious or require surgery, there’s a fair chance it can take longer.
Your experienced legal team will be able to provide an estimate of the timeframes you can expect once they have fully reviewed your claim and have a thorough understanding of the impacts of your injuries.
How Much Does it Cost to Lodge a Broken Ribs Injury Compensation Claim?
We offer a ‘No Win. No Fee. No Catch’® promise when lodging your rib injury compensation claim, which means there are no upfront costs and you will never be left out of pocket. Fees are calculated on the amount of work done and will be explained to you in full before your claim commences and before you sign any kind of agreement.
What Are The Average Compensation Payouts For Broken Ribs?
How much compensation you can potentially claim for your broken rib compensation claim will depend on circumstances surrounding how the break occurred, the severity of the injury, how much of a full recovery you are expected to make, and whether you have directly lost income as a result of your injury.
There’s no fixed amount of compensation you will receive for a rib injury claim. All cases are unique, so we’ll look at your personal circumstances. While the severity of your injury will be considered, we’ll also assess the following when assessing how much compensation you may be due:
- Long-term effects such as psychological trauma
- Secondary illnesses such as chest infections
- Rehabilitation
- Loss of earnings
We will always take the time to explain to you what will be involved in your personal injury claim and will explain your rights to claim compensation for broken ribs, before you sign any sort of agreement we will be able to let you know the viability of your claim and estimated settlement payout.
Can I Represent Myself When Making a Broken Ribs Claim?
Seeking legal advice isn’t required to make any compensation claim in Queensland, you are more than able to represent yourself when making a personal injury compensation claim.
Our team of experienced personal injury lawyers will be able to guide you through broken rib injury compensation claims legal process and assist you to obtain and access all possible avenues of compensation. If you have sustained a broken rib injury due to a workplace accident, as a result of a motor vehicle accident, due to a slip or fall in a public place or while participating in sporting activities, you have the right to access compensation for your injuries.
Having an experienced lawyer in your corner will help you to navigate the complex legal landscape and ensure that you receive the maximum compensation you deserve.
Lodge A "No Win No Fee" Claim
If you suffer injuries whilst at work, and you are looking for further information in terms of making a claim. Here at Smith's Lawyers, we offer a free consultation for injured people looking to seek compensation. As mentioned before, we also have a "No Win. No Fee. No Catch." policy, which means you will never be out of pocket.
Get in touch with us today to give yourself the best opportunity to understand your rights.
I would highly recommend Smith’s Lawyers. The work they put into my case was exceptional, even with such a busy working life and at most times being unreachable. They went above and beyond to ensure the best possible outcome. I am very pleased with their work and the result.
"I highly recommend Smith’s Lawyers! They are very easy to deal with, all staff from the reception ladies through to the lawyers are friendly and action emails and phone messages promptly. I couldn’t have asked more from any of the team. I’ll certainly use Smith’s again in the future if I need to"
"Greg, Luke and the team at Smiths Lawyers were absolutely amazing in the handling of my cases from day one they were so proactive right through to finalisation of my claim. It’s true what they say no win no fee ( A broad statement) we won my claim and the cost associated with the claim was as such after deductions."
"People cringe at the thought of dealing with lawyers but my experience so far has been an absolute pleasure."
